The Hearns of the Shuler fight would beat MW Canelo IMO. That Hearns was quick, mobile and was throwing HARD punches to the body to bring down the guard of Shuler, before sending over 2 rights to the jaw that put Shuler down for the full 10 count. I can see Canelo, ala Barkley I, getting seriously hurt by those body shots, even if he can take the punches to the head. Tommy would have to ensure that he didn't get hit by a 'Hail Mary' counter though as Canelo can definitely put his lights out if he lands full power. I think Hearns beats him at any other weight too. Canelo does have a puncher's chance, but that's all he has really.
Okay, I already commented but wanted to add one thing. Tommy is 6’2 and very fast. Powerful puncher with long arms. He did get KOd against SRL but it was the 14th round and he expended a ton of energy at that point. His fight with Hagler was a historically violent WAR, one of the most violent fights I have ever seen. Tommy was a big puncher and he took chances. His chin was very solid. If Canelo decided to get into a firefight with the great Marvin Hagler, I think the end result would have been the same. No MW fighter wins a tie to toe gun battle with Hagler. He was like a machine and would not lose a battle of will against any man at that time. Tommy took a lot of punishment before he went down. I don’t see any modern fighter taking that kind of punishment from that version of Hagler. it’s a shame because Tommy would have stood a better chance using his speed and size to win rounds and wear Hagler down. He just wasn’t that kind of fighter. Tommy was a man with bad intentions who just came up short against an ATG. Calling Hesarns anything but a historically great A fighter is selling him short. He had all of the tools and would be the best guy Canelo has ever faced. Canelo is strong and smart and disciplined. It would be a tough fight for hearns as well. I don’t think Canelo would want any part of a prime Tommy Hearns at 154.
haha, i figured it was a good one to debate.and that it could be at a number of different weights makes it interesting.
Andries is seen as not so good in boxing history, but he was better than what people think. If you look at his resume. he won the title something like 3 times.. He beat Bobby Czyz and Jeff Harding and even a decent tall guy named Crawford Ashley. He was strong.. And he as champion. Hearns moved up and beat him.Easily, and I think Andries would have done well with a Kovalev.. Not with Ward. But he would have done well with the wild style of Kovalev and tried maul him back and land his looping punches.
With regards to a Barkley situation happening, I think there's a good chance of a KO for Canelo trailing on the cards late, hes not out boxing Hearns though
Well that's sort of is a Barkley situation. The second fight was razor thin and sorta just Hearns boxing to Barkley brawling.
Name me one boxer that Canelo has faced that had a jab like Hearns thrown by a 6'1 boxer. Hearns is a legend and for good reason. Canelo is manufactured because he sells tickets. Hearns outboxed Benitez. Knocked out Duran. Knocked out Cuevas. Canelo did what again? Had a close fight with Trout. Had a split decision vs Lara. Got a draw with GGG the first bout which was a total robbery. Was being outboxed by a shot boxer- Kolv. Are you kidding me with this match up? Hearns came up in a time where the competition was insane- Canelo didnt. And remember nobody EVER outboxed Hearns.
Hearns was formidable but also vulnerable north of 154. He was hurt bad in several fights at 160+. He wasn't the Boogeyman that he was at 147-154. As great a boxer that he was, he had a fighter's mentality and stayed in the pocket too long. Canelo has a Grade A chin, and solid D. Aside from a brief moment v Cotto early in his career, he has never been significantly hurt. Hearns would not blow him out early and he wasn't one to get late kos. Hearns would enjoy a significant height, speed and reach advant. Hearns could also hold his own on the inside and was a murderous body puncher. He just had a bad habit of staying there too long. Hearns would have to stay disciplined throughout and not go toe to toe. Canelo would have to keep steady pressure and slowly break down Hearns and pour it on late. As someone alluded to, Hearns was NEVER outboxed. Canelo would have to stop him. If Canelo landed solid to the body, that would be possible. IMO Hearns would build up points and survive a few scary moments and win a comfortable dec.
Yeah it's hard for me to judge how good Andries was as he was a lesser known name in his era and I born during his era. In regards to the Hearns fight, Hearns was able to fire counters after Andries threw and beat him to the punch almost throughout the whole fight. Pretty sharp considering he was way north of his best, though he didn't look that fast compared to prime Hearns. The commentators brought up several times that Andries could punch, and for the most part Hearns took his shots well. One big shot in particular did stun Hearns for a second, but he didn't seem visibly hurt. Hearns for the most part stayed composed, and only fought undisciplined when he thought he could take out the guy. After watching it I say a prime Hearns definitely has the advantage in the match up, Canelo has a punchers chance and may have some success in the later rounds.